Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini-Herald Reporter
The State, in its closing submissions, has urged regional magistrate Estere Chivasa to convict controversial self-proclaimed prophet Gathry Chiredzero, who is facing rape charges, arguing that they proved every essential element beyond reasonable doubt.
Chiredzero is accused of raping a minor in connivance with his wife Diana Chauke and the girl’s mother, who are also appearing as the co-accused.
The trio is expected in court tomorrow for their judgment.
Prosecutor Tracy Mundanga urged the court to convict the trio, arguing that the prosecution proved every essential element of the charges.
She argued that the 13-year-old complainant was a credible and truthful witness whose account of the alleged rapes remained consistent throughout cross-examination.
The child’s medical report confirmed the rape.
Mundanga told the court that the complainant reported the alleged rape to her mother the following day, satisfying the requirement of making an early complaint.
It argues that the five-month delay in reporting to police resulted from the mother’s failure to act and should not be held against the child.
Allegations are that sometime in January 2026, the complainant was taken by her biological mother to the accused person’s home during the night.
Chiredzero, a known faith healer in the area, was reportedly attending to the complainant’s mentally ill sister.
During the healing session, Chiredzero allegedly demanded that the complainant’s mother provide him with a virgin girl, claiming he needed intimacy to heal the mentally challenged daughter.
The prosecutor said Chauke agreed with her husband’s idea, and even brought a gun, threatening the mother to comply. According to the State, the complainant’s mother consented to the arrangement out of fear.
The court heard that during the night, Chauke allegedly arranged separate rooms for Chiredzero and the complainant. The complainant’s mother and the other child were instructed to go to sleep.
Chiredzero then allegedly threatened her with a gun, removed her clothes, and raped her once.
The next day, the complainant was left at the accused person’s home.
During the day, the prosecutor said Chiredzero insisted on being intimate with the complainant again, claiming the mental condition of the patient needed to be fully “solved.”
It was further alleged that Chauke, still acting in common purpose with her husband, insisted the complainant was supposed to comply because her husband was armed.
The State alleged that the complainant complied out of fear and was raped again.
The prosecutor told the court that Chiredzero then threatened to kill the complainant if she disclosed the matter to anyone.
According to the allegations, the complainant’s mother later came for her in the evening and took her back home, with no action taken against the accused persons.
The matter only came to light on June 7, 2026, when the complainant, her mother and siblings were undergoing a healing session with an Apostolic prophet, Shupikai Nyamuda.
The prophet allegedly prophesied about the sexual assault incident, after which the complainant’s mother, accompanied by Nyamuda, reported the matter to the police.
